Trust In Me
by GumLee
Summary: A story in which Beauregard (Prince Gumball) must find his new-found trust in an old friend, Marshall Lee Abadeer.
1. Chapter 1

"I can't believe him." Beau sighed. "I should have seen it coming, but I could have swore that he had changed!" He looked down at the ground somewhat defeated. His best friend, Fionna placed a gentle and comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Beau, he has changed, just not in every which way. He means well, he really does. You should go and apologize to him. maybe you can find out why he really did what he did." She smiled tenderly at him and gave him a quick pat.

"You're right." Beau said with some newfound confidence. "I'll go talk to him, you go back to the party." He hopped up off his bed and ripped his bedroom door open. Fionna just stared off at him in wonder as he bounded down the steps in search of his best friend.

*10 years prior*

"Stop it Marshall! Give it back!" An 8 year old Beau hopped up it down, constantly grabbing at a doll his aunt had recently bought him.

"Nope! No way! These things are for girls!" Marshall Lee, 15 years old, was once again taunting his favorite "nephew". He towered above the small boy, chuckling like a baby playing peek-a-boo as he held the shiny new doll high up in the air. "Why would that horrid woman buy you this? It's totally lame." He shook his head at the boy.

Beau stopped hopping and stood there pouting. "It isn't lame Marshall! She bought it for me because it looks like mom!" Tears instantly started pouring from the small boys eyes. He looked up at his elder and sobbed. "Please Marshall? May I have it back?"

Marshall sighed and looked down, slowly lowering the doll. "I- I didn't know that..." He handed the doll back to Beau, who instantly held it tightly to his chest. Small, inferior Beau looked up gently at Marshall and gave him a weak smile.

"Marshall Lee, you know, if you want, you can play with her for a little bit. I know you miss her just as much as I do." Marshall looked at the little boy, not knowing what type of reaction he should have. He was angry at him for reminding him of the death of one of his best friends, but he was also happy that the boy didn't see him as a threat to their sacred relationship.

"I'd love that GumGum." He gave Beau a toothy grin and sat down directly in front of him, slowly reaching his hand out to accept the doll. Beau smiled at the almost long forgotten nickname and put the doll to his eye level and kissed it on the head. He gently passed it to Marshall and hugged both the dark haired teen and the doll.

"I love you both so much!" One of Marshall's pale hands found it's way to the young boys head and he tenderly stroked the strawberry blonde hair.

"I love you too Beau, and you too Bonni."

*7 years later*

"I'm going out Auntie!" The tables had turned, and now Beauregard was 15, and rebellious as ever. His precious blonde hair had been died a vivid pink, and that same color followed suit in his wardrobe just about every day. As soon as he realized what relationships were, as well as attractions, he knew that he didn't like women. When he told his Aunt Le Mon, she went cold and sent him to a therapist, who could only come to a conclusion that it was due to a lack of a strong female figure in his life. Of course, this lead Le Mon to believe it was all her fault, and so she succumbed and allowed the boy to do whatever he pleased.

"All right Beau, be careful!" The ultra blonde woman yelled from the kitchen. She had a dish towel in her hand as she gently dried a mug. Normally, they would have had their kitchen staff take care of it, but since Beau had hit his rebellious phase, she decided it would be best if there weren't as many people for him to lash out on, and pulled most of the house staff out. She sighed and walked to the living room to watch as Beau left the house, carelessly slamming the door behind him and hopping into the back of his friend's car. She couldn't make out who they were just through the window, so she shook her head and went back to the kitchen to work on more dishes.

Beau hopped into the back of the car with two of his best friends, Fionna, and her foster-sibling, Catherine, or as everyone called her, Cake. The two blondes were always upbeat, and were very accepting of Beau and his new lifestyle.

"What do you two plan on doing with me?" Beau leaned up to the front and eyed his friends suspiciously. Cake just giggled and left the explanation for Fionna.

"Well…" Fionna sighed a bit and looked cautiously at the road before looking at Beau a bit. "We went to this coffee shop the other day, and the owner is a complete dish. For you that is! He's totally not my type."

Beau shook his head. "You two have boyfriends, and you know I don't need one. Do we really need to go?" Beau lied. He did need a boyfriend,, or at least he wanted one, but he as crazy as he was fashion wise, and how he acted in front of the house staff, did not apply to him at all in the real world. He was rather shy, and was horrible at meeting new people.

"It'll be fun! Besides, the coffee there is totally awesome! They have the best selection of things there. You'll love it!" Fionna let go of the steering wheel to wave her hands in the air for a split second before placing them securely back on. She had just received her license and she wasn't about to lose it.

Beau just shook his head and sat back down in his seat, casually glancing out the window to look at the cityscape.

"What's this place called anyways?" Cake looked back at him and just shrugged.

"Do you really think that we of all people were paying attention? All we know is that it's near that awesome shopping mall where our boy toys always hang out at." She smiled and danced a little in her seat.

The time passed quickly during the drive there, but seemed to drag on as Fionna attempted to parallel park in front of the coffee shop. Beau was too busy yelling at his 17 year old friends to simply just look over and take note of the establishment they were about to enter.

With the car finally parked, the trio hopped out and stepped onto the sidewalk. They briskly made their way into the coffee shops bright red doors. The interior was very sophisticated for a coffee shop, but it was open and had high energy. The seating was mostly black, but there were a few couches with red cushions placed on them, as well as a few red stools at the bar area. The rest of the room was mostly dark reds, blacks, and a few areas of a rich crème color. The music was mellow, and there was a light buzz from all the conversations happening around them.

Fionna grabbed Beau by the hand, and Cake by the other. She led them to a small boot in the corner next to a window. They sat down and made themselves comfortable. Cake passed one of the drink menus to Beau and glanced at the other with Fionna. While Beau carefully looked over the menu, eyeing everything he deemed delicious, and of course it's price, a waiter had come to take their order, pad of paper and a pen in hand.

"Hey guys, what can I get for you today?" The man's voice was deep, but flowed perfectly into each of their ears. His voice sent chills down Beau's spine, and he carefully lifted his head to glance at the man.

"Marshall!?" Beau let the drink menu fall from his hands and he stared with an open mouth at Marshall Lee. Marshall's reaction was similar to beau's, as he dropped both his pen and his order pad.

"Beauregard! W-what are you doing here?" He bent down quickly and fumbled to grab his writing utensil and paper. While it took him a second to gather them together, he lifted his head a bit quickly and bumped it on the table. He hissed and grabbed the back of his head as he stood up. "It's been a long time…"

Beau rolled his eyes and looked back at the drink menu which was now laid upon the table.

"Don't you have drink orders to take?" He sneered at Marshall. He looked the man over, noticing both drastic and subtle changes in him. His hair was longer now, no longer the shaggy do that Beau remembered, and it was shaved on the side, allowing all of Marshall's ear piercings to be revealed. He had grown as well, and was probably now around 6 feet tall. His jaw was more pronounced now, as were his cheekbones, and he had several tattoos, which were visible on both his arms, and his neck, due to his black button up shirt having it's sleeves rolled up and the top few buttons undone, exposing the perfect amount of skin to make the now 22 year old male look sultry and seductive.

Marshall nodded and lifted his pen to the paper. "What can I get you kids?" Fionna and Cake looked at the two rather dumbfounded and fumbled around to figure out what they want.

"I'm going to have a caramel frapuccino, extra caramel." Beau said confidently. Marshall quickly jotted it down and and looked at the other two.

"Uhhh… Two more of those please." Fionna blurted out, just trying to get Marshall to leave so she could take to Beau. Marshall nodded and walked swiftly away behind the counter.

"What the hell was that Beau?" Cake smacked the table and leaned closer to Beau. He just shook his head and looked out the window.

"It was nothing." He shrugged a bit. Cake squinted her eyes and looked to Fionna for help.

"Beau, I've been friends with you for like, 5 years now, you can tell me anything you know." Fionna sighed and leaned across the table to grab Beau's hand. He rolled his eyes and wretched his hand back.

"Fine, he's an old family friend. But he sucks now, so I don't even bother wasting my time on him." The timing couldn't have been worse, as Marshall was serving the table right behind them as Beau had said that, and his head lowered. He quickly finished with that table and walked away, into a back room behind the counter. A few minutes later, another waiter came to give them their drinks, which were barely touched by the time they left.

Beau made Fionna take him home as soon as they were done in the city. He didn't even say goodbye to them, just hopped out of the car and stormed inside, quickly going up to his room. He slammed his door and flopped onto his bed crying immediately when his face landed onto his pillow. Marshall was the last person he wanted to see. He had been for the past 3 years. The last memory he had of Marshall was of the man doing unsavory things to him, and those were flooding his mind at the moment.


	2. Chapter 2

*3 years prior*

A 12 year old Beau was waiting anxiously in his living room for his best friend to get there. It was his birthday, and his best friend promised to come at 3pm, but it was now 2 am. Marshall Lee had missed his birthday. He had never done that before. Beau had cried all day after 8, he had kicked his friends out of the birthday party too, all because of one 19 year old boy.

Feeling defeated, Beau started to trudge upstairs, knowing that his friend will most likely not show up. He slowly crept into his room, careful to make minimal noise due to the hour it was, and he got undressed to get ready for bed. After he had fully stripped, he heard a rustling outside his window. He slowly turned and moved the curtain just a centimeter out of the way so he could see. What he saw shocked him so much that he stumbled back onto his floor, butt naked.

Marshall Lee climbed up his house and shoved open Beau's window. He stumbled in and staggered over to Beau, hugging his young, naked body. Beau whimpered a little and tried to push the other off of him, for one obvious reason, and because Marshall smelled like straight alcohol.

"Come on GumGum! Don't be like that!" Marshal slurred the words out and laughed as he sat on Beau's bed, forcing the naked boy to straddle him. "How was your birthday?" The young boy just looked at Marshall with a slightly frightened look on his face.

"Uh… It was horrible." He said, being rather flat.

"Why's that Gummy?" Marshall played with Beau's strawberry blonde hair, picking up a piece and letting it fall back in front of the boys eyes. Marshall eyes were somewhat absent, as well as glazed over. There was a certain amount of lust in the man's eyes, but Beau didn't recognize that. Giving him no time to answer the question, Marshall had started to lean in closer to the boy, and he planted his lips on the others.

Beau didn't know what to do. This was something foreign to him, and he was under the impression that only a man and a woman could do this. He kept his lips pressed in a firm line, but he couldn't hold it as the older boy had shoved his tongue into his mouth, forcing his lips to spread.

Marshall pulled away from the younger boy, not fully realizing what he had done. "You know Beau, you look an awful lot like your mother. In fact, I think I'll just call you Bonni from now on." He smiled at the younger who now had tears running down his face in a disorderly fashion. Not only was the day before Beau's birthday, but it was also the day that his mother died.

She died the day that he turned 7, after battling cancer for a little over 2 years. She had it set in her mind that she was going to live to see her boy age one more year, and she did. However, the young boy did not see it as the sweet gesture she meant it to be, and blamed himself for her death. Marshall, on the other hand, had vowed to protect young Beauregard in place of his mother. He knew what she had in mind when she eventually passed, and was glad that her fight was over and that she could be at peace.

Now Marshall was a wreck, and every year on Beau's birthday, he put on a fake smile, and pretended that nothing was wrong in the world, just for his sake. This year however, Marshall and a few of his college friends went to a party, and while Marshall never intended to stay long, he consumed extreme amounts of alcohol, and lost track of the time. At least he had partially remembered his promise to Beau and eventually showed up, although his motives slightly differed from before.

Marshall really only had one person on his mind, Bonnibell, and from what he remembered of her, all he wanted was her in his life. Marshall grabbed a hold of Beau's waist and whispered gently in his ear.

"I love you Bonni. I really do." He reached behind the young boy and undid his own pants. That night, Beau lost his innocence, and would never forget about it.

Marshall left at about 5am, and didn't come back to visit Beau again. The shame he felt was too great and he couldn't bare to see the poor boy after what he had done to him.

*3 years later*

Beau decided to sleep in and not go to school today, for the 4th day in a row. Seeing Marshall just wasn't something he needed in his life. He rolled out of bed at 10am and made his way into his bathroom. He hobbled over to the toilet and released a long stream of urine, sighing the whole time he did. When he finished, he fixed his boxers and scooted on over to the sink, where he neglected to wash his hands, but instead ran the tap on cold and splashed his face a couple of times.

Clad in only a pair of boxers and a white tee-shirt, the teen shuffled himself out of the bathroom, and made his way onto his bed, where he grabbed his phone and started to scroll through his facebook. Not even 5 minutes after he had started scrolling, there was a knock on the door. Beau stayed put, and let their one and only maid get the door. A minute later, Mrs. Mint, the maid, called Beau downstairs. "Beau! You have a guest! Come down here!"

"I'll be down in a minute!" He yelled down to her as he huffed and got off his bed in search of a pair of pants. He picked a pair of dark purple skinnies off the floor and threw them on along with a pair of clean black socks from his underwear drawer. After quickly dressing, he tossled around his bright pink mop and pulled his door open, swiftly making his way out into the hall and down the stairs, where he stopped abruptly when he cam to the bottom.

There stood Marshall Lee with a smiling Mrs. Mint. Le Mon was at work, so there was no way she could have just entertained the man instead of Beau.

"Mr. Abadeer would you enjoy some tea? I have that wonderful pomegranate lemon blend you used to like so much because of it's rich color." The old woman held onto his arm and smiled up at him. The man smiled back and poked her nose.

"That sounds wonderful Mrs. Mint! I would love some, along with those delicious lemon poppy seed muffins you make." The old woman giggled and sashayed into the kitchen. Marshall took his time before looking up at Beau.

"I need to talk to you." Marshall pleaded with the boy. "It will only take a few moments. I promise." Beau frowned and looked away from the boy, starting to go up the stairs again.

"Fine. You have five minutes to talk to me. No more, hopefully less." He made his way up the rest of the stairs and walked down the hall to his room. Marshall followed suit and slowly got himself up the stairs, but as soon as he was at the top, he scooted over to Beau's room as not to waste any time. As he made his way into the boy's room, he saw Beau sitting calmly on his bed, with enough room for Marshall to sit on the other end with an included space in between them.

"What's this about?" Beau said sternly. Marshall sat down on the opposite side of the bed and sighed.

"Beau… I'm sorry. I really am. You have no idea how much torture I've endured over the last few-" Beau cut the boy off.

"How much torture YOU'VE endured? Let's talk about enduring torture. Marshall, you _raped_ me. RAPED ME!" Beau screamed at the man. Marshall sat there with his head hung low.

"I know… I didn't mean to. I was drunk…" The older man started to sob. Beau was a little taken aback, but didn't let the man's outburst deter him from seeing the truth.

"I'm not going to give into you. You hurt me. I thought you were my friend. I loved you Marshall! I trusted you! But you took all of that away because you were selfish, and couldn't see that I needed you. I miss her more than you do! You had no right Marshall Lee Abadeer!" Beau was hysterical at this point. Marshall just sat silently, letting the tears roll down his face and collect on the collar of his shirt.

"I still love you Beau… I haven't thought about the fact that I turned into a monster and hurt you nearly as much as I thought about betraying your mother's trust in me. And now I know that I thought wrong. Yes I broke the promise I made, and yes, I broke her trust in me. But I broke you, and I'm deeply sorry for that. That's all I wanted to say to you. I know you don't want me in your life, and if I need to leave to keep you safe, then so be it. I won't stop you from shutting me out of your life, but know that I care. I care a whole fucking lot." He finished with a sigh and stood up from the bed. Beau looked at the man confused.

"So you aren't going to beg me to let you back into my life? You're just going to leave and never come back?" His eyes glistened and he looked sincerely at the man.

"If that's what you want Beau… I've changed. I know I have. But I can't change what I've done. What I did that night scarred me. I damaged you, and changed your life forever. You're never going to trust another human being like you used to trust me. I'd love to be in your life again, but I know it will never happen." He stepped out of the young boy's room as he finished talking and made his way down the stairs.

Beau stayed in his room and sobbed into his pillow while he heard Marshall and Mrs. Mint carrying on a conversation about what he had discussed with beau. He heard a slap, and knew it was Mrs. Mint's palm coming in contact with Marshall's face. He ignored the urge to go down there and yell at her, and instead sat and listened a while until he was certain Marshall had left. When he was sure, he slowly skulked his way downstairs and was directed into Mrs. Mint's opening arms. She smiled at him and kissed his forehead.

"I know you'll do what's best for you Beauregard. I have faith in you." She smiled and handed him a slip of paper. It had a phone number and an address on it, most likely Marshall's. "He left this for you, just in case." Beau pushed forth a shaky hand and grasped the small piece of parchment.

"Thank you Mrs. Mint… I hope you aren't too mad at either him or me for what happened a few years ago." The old woman smiled and shook her head.

"I'm just glad that he was open and honest about what he had done, and I know that he still cares for you. He cares for you more than your mother, and he loved that woman with all his heart." Beau erupted into tears again.

"I know he did Mintie, I know…" 


	3. Chapter 3

**(So if anyone is confused about the timeline, (trust me, so am I), It starts out with Gumball being 18, goes back to him being 8, then 12, and then most of the story will be set when he is 15. This chapter is a continuation of the last one. Also, very, very, very sorry for not updating in literally forever. I'm a crappy person who had adult responsibilities. Jk, I got married and had a baby, along with trying to still finish all of my college courses. Too adult, much responsible.)**

When Beau had finally decided to attend school for the first time in over a week, he looked as if he had been living on the street for a while. His hair wasn't perfectly spiked up into his usual coif, and his clothes were wrinkled and disheveled. He didn't even bother to shave, which had caused a small, blonde patch of hair to grow on the tip of his chin, forming an almost uniform goatee.

He trudged himself into the building and went straight to his first class of the day, backpack in tow. His first class of the day, at 7:30 am, was calculus of all things. Since he was a little more "ahead" than his peers, he had a class that was composed of seniors, and himself, the lowly freshman. He didn't mind being the only 15 year old in the class. It gave him the upper hand in some way. But today, he felt no better than a college student who had just experienced their first hangover and had to perform the walk of shame. He trudged into the room and instead of sliding confidently into his chair, he sat down with a heavy thud.

"Jesus fucking Christ dude, what happened to you?" Agile fingers picked up a piece of Beau's hair and let it flop back down onto Beau's sullen face. Beau's hands quickly raised up and swatted at the offending hand.

"Nothing happened to me _Francis_." Beau sneered at the boy hovering above him. Francis was dating Fionna, and since everyone in the friend group was a little off, Francis was no exception. His hair was brightly colored, but stayed mostly in the orange range. Fionna had nicknamed him Flame, to save him some embarrassment from his real name being predominantly female in origin, but Beau was a fiery youth, and enjoyed calling him Francis.

Flame sighed and slid into the seat behind Beau. "Come on bud, you know you can tell me anything. I mean, I know I've only really known you for a year or so, but you can trust me." Flame smiled cutely and put his head in his hands, leaning on his desk towards Beau.

"I'm just sick and tired Francis. That's all. I don't want to talk to anyone right now. I'm just here so I don't fail." He slouched down yet again, almost forming into a ball in his seat, and pouted for the rest of class, and for much of the rest of the day. He skipped lunch, and went for a walk around the track instead, contemplating his life, and the decisions he had to make. He came to some quick conclusions and rushed back into the building to finish his day.

When the clock struck 3:00, he rushed out, quite pleased to find that his butler, who was also Mrs. Mint's husband, was parked in the loop in front of the school to pick him up. He rushed over to the car, and hopped in, thus starting a 15 minute drive of mundane conversations about homework and gym.

Getting home was a quick and painless project, and as soon as the car pulled up to the house, he shot out of the vehicle, and burst through the door, wanting nothing more than to be in his room, alone, to think.

"Hey darling, how was your day at scho-"

"No time Minty! I'm busy!" He waved the kind and round woman off and ran up the stairs to his room. Once inside, he closed the door, made sure to lock it and sat gently on his bed. On his nightstand, he picked up a small piece of paper and stared at it for more than a few minutes. He sighed, knowing that he wanted to straighten things out with Marshall, but also knew he shouldn't.

Marshall had no right to show up and apologize. What he did should have never happened. But Mrs. Mint was right, Marshall did love him, and Beau loved Marshall right back. He always had, and probably always will. He'd known the boy since birth! His birth to be exact. Marshall was always around. He had been adopted by one of his uncles who shortly after died, and since then, Beau's family had passed him around, Bonni being the one who spent the most time taking after the boy. She was kind to him, and acted as any mother should, but when Bonni died, Marshall's estranged father came back into the picture, pulling him out of the Foster system.

Beau felt that this was the start of Marshall's problems. His father was a horrible man, with an equally as horrible new wife, and they would beat and neglect the boy until there was nothing human or kind left in him. He knew that if he were to rekindle his friendship with the man, he would need to jump start it with a bang. Slow didn't work for this situation. Yes, the trouble in their relationship came fast, and it was a horrible deed, but it had been three years since then. Beau had been to several therapy sessions for it, and he had mostly come to terms with it.

He picked up his phone and glanced at the paper, quickly adding the number to his contacts. He clicked the new found contact and zipped a quick text to the digits.

_Hey, it's Beau. Awkward first text here, but do me a favor, and meet me tonight at the Florist in town. I wanna talk. 7:30 to be more specific. If you're late, don't even bother. That's what you should have done three years ago. _

He glanced over the text, knowing that it was a bit hurtful, but it ensured Marshall's attendance. 'Send.', he said to himself in his head as he tapped the screen. The day was still young, with school only freshly being let out, so he had some time to make himself presentable. He put his phone face down on his bed so he would see the screen light up, or hear the buzz when he got a new text, and he lifted himself off of the bed, and slowly started to rid himself of his dirty school clothes.

He shuffled over to his bathroom, still pulling off the last articles of clothing he had on, and he turned on his shower to a cold setting so his hair wouldn't fade. His shower was quick, and covered the essentials, scrubbing, cleaning, shaving. He hopped out as soon as he could, barely wrapped a towel around himself, and rushed out of the bathroom to check his phone. He just had to know.

His hand shook as he reached down for his phone. He was more than nervous, but pushed through the nerves to snatch up his phone. He flipped it over and tapped the screen quickly, illuminating it, and showing one new notification. A text from a certain someone to be more specific. He gulped hard and tapped on the message.

_I have work tonight, but I'll leave early. I'll be there. _

Beau sighed. Marshall didn't even care that Beau had been mean to him, he probably thought he deserved that and more. Beau's eyes glanced up to the top of his phone. 4:30. He had too much time on his hands. 'I might as well get dinner', he thought to himself as he slid on some comfy shorts and a simple black t-shirt and made his way downstairs.

6:30. He had eaten dinner and placed a quick order on the phone for a little something for later and even killed some time by making his hair just perfect . It had some lift to it, and was pushed back in a slick pompadour. He had even had some time to groom his eyebrows, fill them in a bit darker, and add a small bit of eyeliner to just the underside. He was feeling a bit dramatic today. He had also had time to pick out the perfect outfit for what he had planned.

He had laid out on his bed a pair of solid black skinny jeans, a pale pink button up, a simple black skinny tie, and a black blazer with a pink lapel. He wasn't feeling exceptionally colorful today, but still wanted his personality to shine through. There was still one more finishing touch to add, and that was his pair of bright pink Doc Marten's. He loved those boots, and wore them anytime he could.

He put on his clothes, and picked up his phone, noting that the time was only 6:50, but he decided to leave anyways. He had some things to do before he met with Marshall. He picked up his wallet, slid it into his back pocket, and grabbed a black shoulder bag from his closet. He quietly left his room and made his way down the stairs, being careful not to make a lot of noise. He slid into the kitchen and grabbed three glasses along with a bottle that had been hidden behind some stuff in the pantry. Now that he had what he wanted from the house, he left and made his way to the front door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Le Mon was standing right behind him with a questioning look on her face.

"I'm going to meet with an old friend. Is that a problem? I don't have to go. I'm sure they'll understand." He smiled gently at her. She was confused. Normally he acted like a douche to her.

"Go, it's not like I care." She waved him off and he smiled again before sliding out of the front door. He hurried his way down to the end of the street, and caught the 7:00 bus into town. It was only a 5 minute bus ride, but would have taken much longer by foot. Once he got off at his stop, which was right around the corner from the florist, he booked it. The owner of the flower shop was waiting outside for Beau with a large bag next to him.

"Jesus kid, could you take any longer?" The man sighed and looked at his watch.

"I'm really sorry sir, I really am. Are those mine?" Beau pointed to the large bag next to the man.

"Yeah kid. Two dozen, like you asked." Beau reached into his pocket and got his wallet out. He handed the man some money and thanked him. The florist hurried on into his car and left, leaving Beau all by himself in front of the flower shop, eager to meet with Marshall.


	4. Chapter 4

Marshall knew that if he wanted to leave early from work to meet with Beau, he would have to find someone to cover the rest of his shift at the coffee shop. He had been trying to work quickly but was repeatedly stopped by the two other kids he had seen Beau with just a few days prior. They had wanted to ask him questions, but he politely smiled and declined to speak with them, telling him that he had work to do and was only there to take their orders and serve them. He could tell that the two girls were very irritated with him, but there was nothing they could do.

He wiped his hands on his waist apron and slid behind the counter to his friend and coworker Ashley. "Hey Ash, mind taking over the rest of my shift? I'll give you my pay for today, I just really need to get out of here." He glanced at his watch, noting that it was already 7:05. He really didn't want to be late to this meeting.

"I'll tell you what, you take me to dinner this Friday, and I'll take over your shift for free." She smiled coyly, her silver hair framing her face and making her look almost seductive.

Marshall sighed, he knew there was no escape. She'd been trying to get with him for years, but he didn't play for that team. The only woman he ever did love was Bonni anyways. "Fine, one date. No hanky panky, no kissing, just dinner and I'll even throw in a movie and a hug. Deal?"

Ashley smiled wide and clapped her hands together. "Deal!" She danced a bit behind the counter, completely neglecting the stares of the customers, and didn't even notice Marshall going into the back to hang up his apron and grab his stuff.

Once in the back, Marshall grabbed his jacket and his house keys, and dashed back out to the front of the shop. He waved at Ashley, who was still reveling in the fact that she had gotten a date with him, and he slid out of the front door, letting the jingle of the bell resonate in the building as he sprinted down the street. If he was quick about it, he could jog and walk to his destination and arrive 5 minutes before the meeting time.

His physical activity left him a little winded, but he made it there in no time. He slowed his pace to a walk when he was about 3 blocks away. He didn't want to be out of breath when talking to Beau. 2 more blocks to go. Marshall's mind was racing. He had no idea what Beau was going to say to him, or what he should say to Beau. 'Maybe I should just stay silent...' He rubbed his face with his hands and then shoved them in his pockets. He huffed a bit and looked up at the shops next to him. He was already at the bakery, that meant that Beau was just up ahead. Marshall looked on and could see Beau's pink head in the distance. It wasn't quite sunset, so he could see where Beau's hair was glistening and bright in the sun.

He sighed one last time and briskly walked over to Beau. He was about 40 feet away from him when Beau finally noticed Marshall's arrival.

"You're early." Beau said as he glanced at his phone. Marshall did the same.

"Only by three minutes. I would have been earlier, but I had to sell my soul to get off work early." He chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. Beau's look was one of both tiredness and curiosity. He was clearly not amused.

Marshall took a quick moment to admire how the young man looked this particular evening. While Beau certainly wasn't as fit as Marshall, he was still slender, and could easily rock the skinny jeans he was wearing. He also appreciated the youths use of eyeliner. It made him look a bit more mature, and hid the fact that he had a very round face, not that the roundness of his face hindered Beau's appearance in any way. The one thing that struck Marshall as a bit odd was how sharply dressed Beau was from the waist up. He didn't think that someone of only 15 would be interested in dressing in such a manner. Unlike Beau, Marshall thought he himself looked like a bum. His pants, while black and skinny, had many tears in them, and had random bits of flour and sugar on them from his long day at work. His shirt too was a bit of a mess. His red and black flannel was uncuffing and untucking itself. His hair was up today, instead of down, which revealed the other side of his head, shaved like the other. His undercut came in handy some days, but now he felt like a mess.

"Let's take a walk somewhere. Mind carrying this bag for me?" Beau gestured towards Marshall with the large bag of flowers.

"Yeah sure, what is it? Where are we going?" He took the bag from Beau's hand, being gentle as he did so. His hand brushed the other's and they both jerked back a little. Marshall gave Beau an apologetic look, but Beau just shook it off.

"It's a surprise. For both. That answers both questions." Beau said awkwardly as he started to mosey down the street.

The walk was relatively silent with a few questions here and there about school, teachers, and Fionna and Cake. Marshall told Beau about how they were practically stalking him now. Beau of course apologized on their behalf, and promised to speak with them about it. They had been walking for a while now, and the sun was just starting to set. The colors in the sky were amazing, and Marshall was too focused on the beauty of the nature to notice where they had arrived at. His stupor was broken by the twinkling of Beau's voice in his ear.

"We're here." Beau smiled weakly and glanced at the ground.

The graveyard. Marshall knew this meeting was too good to be true. He gulped and stepped ahead of Beau, knowing exactly where they were going. His strides were confident, much more than Beau's, but he made sure to stay at a pace that made his former friend comfortable. He had already made it to the specific grave they intended to visit. Beau slowly made his way over, clearly breathing unevenly as he did so. Marshall had no idea when the last time it was that Beau had been here, but he was guessing it had been some time.

"Hey there Bonni, has the weather been fair to you this week?" Marshall asked to no living being as he sat down crossed legged on the right of the headstone. Beau took the opposite side and sat his bag down.

"H-hey m-mom." There were already tears in his eyes. Marshall wasn't certain of what to do, but he did know that he had a handy pack of tissues in his back pocket, so he reached in and got them for the lad. Beau gladly accepted and dabbed at his eyes.

"Why did you bring me here if you couldn't handle it? We can leave if you want."

"No, we're staying. I brought gifts for her." He picked up the bag he had handed to Marshall and pulled out two dozen pink roses. He laid them elegantly in front of Bonni's headstone, noticing while he did that there was a single rose already there. It had withered some, but was recently placed there. Marshall noticed him looking at it.

"I put that there. I come every week, and I play music for her, sing to her, and talk to her. I also apologize to her like you wouldn't believe." Marshall sighed and rubbed one hand against the ground. "I tell her I love her too, and miss her."

Marshall could see sadness in Beau's eyes.

"I haven't been here for years. I always send Mrs. Mint to lay down some flowers once a year. It's painful, and I don't want to be reminded of what happened." Beau sighed and pulled out his other bag. He got the three glasses out, handing all three to Marshall, who stared at them while Beau pulled out the bottle.

"It's a White Zinfandel, mom's favorite because it's pink." He opened it up and poured some in each of the three glasses in Marshall's hands. Marshall then handed one glass to Beau, and set the other one on top of Bonni's grave.

"Here's to a brave and beautiful woman who was kind and graceful. I'm sure she's jumping for joy right now, seeing her two favorite boys next to each other again." Marshall raised his glass and noticed how it sparkled in the sunset, the pink of the wine a deep and rich color, but still rather pale. Marshall looked away from his glass and looked at Beau. The boy was staring deeply into his glass, and he was crying. Marshall set his glass down and scooted over to the youth. He knew that what he was about to do was risky, but it had to be done.

Marshall moved right next to Beau and wrapped an arm around him. Beau's head easily found it's way into the crook of his neck, allowing Marshall to lean his head on the teen's and wrap his other arm around him. He hushed the boy and squeezed him gently. He comforted the boy who sobbed into his shirt. AS he sat there holding Beau, he could feel a warmth around them even though the evening sunset had made the world cold again. There was a small presence too, which Marshall could only interpret as being Bonni's soul smiling at them both. Marshall smiled back at the feeling and continued to embrace Bonnibell's son.


End file.
